Vaccinations will be mandatory for businesses who have close contact with clients.
This includes workers in hospitality, events, hairdressers and gyms and covers almost 40% of the nation’s entire workforce.
The prime minister says she wants business to open and that means customers and workers being safe.
“If customers must be vaccinated, so too must the workers.”
She says the move will be enforced under the government’s Covid-19 protection framework and businesses and unions are looking at the detail “to ensure we get the balance right."
This includes a 4-week notice period if mandated workers refuse to be vaccinated, a risk-assessment process for different types of work that requires vaccination and options for those who are medically exempt from getting vaccinated.
Government staff are expected to be next in line for vaccine mandates in the coming weeks.